Promises
by rippedjeans
Summary: She was running away from her sad life, but on the way to her freedom tragedy struck. She meets the Cullens and at first glance she knows that they are different. Can just a little girl bring any joy to a family of vamps? Can they be the family she needs?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first Twilight fan fiction and I'm pretty excited about it. Bella, Edward, and Alice are in the beginning of their senior year of high school. The Cullens never left Bella. Everything else is pretty much the same as in the books. I hope you enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Don't own the Twilight series**

"Mommy, why do we have to move to Spoons?"

"It's Forks darling, and remember I told you this is where Mommy grew up."

"I 'member Mommy, but _why_ do we have to move there?"

"We're starting over new and leaving all the bad stuff behind. Doesn't that sound good?"

The small child nodded her head and smiled.

"Are we going to be happy in Forks Mommy?"

The young mother thought a moment before she answered her daughter.

"I certainly hope so precious." She replied as she kissed the top of her daughter's head.

"Daddy's not going to follow us…is he?" the young girl asked hesitantly.

"No baby. No he's not. It's just going to be the two of us."

The small girl's smile widened, and it nearly broke her mother's heart.

"Good." The child replied. "I don't like Daddy. He makes you cry, and I don't like it when you cry."

"Oh Chloe." the young woman gasped. She hated that her daughter has seen as much as she had. She had witnessed more than any five year old should ever have to.

"You don't have to be scared anymore. Your father will never hurt us again. I promise." Elizabeth Hargrove attempted to reassure her daughter as well as herself. She looked over at her Chloe's sleepy form; amused at her daughter's will power to keep her eyes open. "Go to sleep baby. I'll wake you up when we get there."

Chloe nodded, but not without asking one more question.

"How much longer?"

"Not even an hour. Just go to sleep." Her mother told her softly.

"Love you Mommy."

"Love you too angel."

Within seconds, Chloe was fast asleep. It had been a long day. Elizabeth had been driving all day long with only a few stops. They were running away; running away from their old life. Elizabeth couldn't take it anymore. She glanced over at her daughter; her eyes scanning over Chloe's fragile body. The bruises on her wrists had faded, but the emotional bruising was still there. He promised he would never touch her, but he lied.

Elizabeth saw her own reflection in the rearview mirror. She wasn't the same person she once was, and she hated him for that. Her once flawless face now was marred with bruises and scars. Her blue eyes no longer sparkled, but now held nothing but pain and anguish. Elizabeth had once been so full of life. She was a small town girl with a big dream. As soon as she graduated from high school, she moved to California. She wanted to be a dancer, and she was determined to make her dream come true. It was hard, but she finally managed to pick up work. Little jobs here and there, and then after much work, she got_ the_ job. The job that got her recognized. The job that led her to David.

The job was the lead in an upcoming ballet. David also received one of the lead roles. He soon became her boyfriend, then fiancé, then husband, then father of her little angel. He promised to love and take care of Elizabeth and Chloe forever, but he broke his promise.

Elizabeth couldn't think of David without becoming angry with herself. She stayed with him too long. He promised never to touch Chloe, but at one time he also promised that he would never touch her.

"I believed him." She muttered shamefully.

The last straw was when he touched Chloe.

_The day was going fine until David got home; Elizabeth had picked Chloe up from kindergarten and gotten some takeout for dinner. Chloe was watching TV in the den while Elizabeth washed clothes and cleaned up around the house. Elizabeth heard the screech of brakes outside the house and knew that David wasn't in a good mood. She swiftly made her way towards the door to see what was wrong. Before she got to the front door, David had already torn it open. He reeked of beer, and it was only just a little after five. _

"_What's wrong David?" Elizabeth asked tentatively. _

_He scoffed. "What isn't wrong?" he spat. _

"_Did the audition not go well?" she asked meekly._

"_I just wasn't what they were looking for." He mocked. _

"_It's okay. There will be other auditions." Elizabeth told him gently as she placed her hand on his forearm. _

_David ripped her hand off his arm and turned to glare at her. _

"_I needed this job." he growled. He stormed into the kitchen and grabbed a cold beer out of the fridge. _

"_David please don't drink anymore. Not in front of Chloe." Elizabeth pleaded. _

"_I can do whatever the fuck I want. I don't have to listen to you." He snarled. _

"_David please." She begged with tears in her eyes. She hated when he got like this. When he drank, he didn't think straight. When he drank, he hit. _

"_What do you want from me?" he screamed. "All you ever do is bitch and whine, and I'm sick of it!" _

"_Mommy?" came a scared voice from the den._

"_Everything's fine sweetheart. Just go in your room, and I'll be in there in a little while to read you a story." _

_Elizabeth heard the soft patter of little feet running across the hardwood floors. _

"_David, I can't take this anymore. I love you, but…you need help." Elizabeth regretted saying this as soon as the words left her mouth. Within a split second she could taste salty blood in her mouth. _

"_Don't you dare! Don't you dare tell me that I need help! If anyone needs help it's you. Look at you. You are pathetic!" he told her. His voice filled with disgust. Elizabeth's body slid down the wall as she cowered away from him. She was scared; not only for herself, but also for her daughter who was just right down the hall. _

"_Please David. Pl-please stop." She cried which earned a kick to her side. She couldn't help but release a cry of agony. _

"_Mommy, are you okay?" a timid voice asked from the other side of the room. Elizabeth looked up and saw her daughter's frightened face. "Mommy, why are you crying? Are you hurt?" _

"_And you!" David yelled as he stomped toward Chloe._

"_No!" Elizabeth screamed. "Don't touch her. Run Chloe!" _

_Chloe was quick, but David was quicker. As Chloe turned to run, David grabbed a hold of her wrists tightly. _

"_You little brat! You and your mother have sucked me dry! All I do is earn money to pay the bills that you and your mother cause. I'm sick of being a father and a husband." _

"_Oww Daddy! Let go. You're hurting me!" Little Chloe cried as she tried to pull her wrists from her father's large cold hands. _

_Before David could react, a beer bottle collided with his head. He released Chloe's wrists and spun around. His face with beet red, and he was fuming he was so angry. _

"_Don't you ever touch her again!" Elizabeth screamed as she smashed a vase on his head and knocked him out. His body fell to a heap in the middle of the floor. For a moment Elizabeth just stared at the body on the floor. She was shocked she was able to knock him out. After a second, she came to her senses and rushed herself and Chloe out of the room. _

"_Come on baby. We need to leave." _

"_Mommy" Chloe whimpered. _

"_Oh precious." Elizabeth whispered as she picked Chloe up. "Are you okay?" _

"_My wrists hurt Mommy." Chloe whispered back. _

"_I'm so sorry. So, so sorry." Her mother cried. _

_Elizabeth proceeded to grab the bags she had pre-packed for just this occasion. She had been planning to leave David for months. She grabbed her hidden money, anything worth value that she didn't want David to have, and her car keys. She ran to her car with Chloe in her arms. _

"_We're getting away angel. He won't hurt us anymore." Elizabeth told her daughter quietly as she sped down the road away from their old life. _

Elizabeth shuddered at the memory. She looked over at Chloe and noticed that she was waking up. Chloe sat up slowly and tiredly rubbed her eyes.

"Have a good nap precious?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes Mommy. Are we almost there yet?"

Elizabeth chuckled.

"Yes baby. We are about five minutes away from my old house."

"Is that where we're going to be staying Mommy?" Chloe asked through a yawn.

"Yes. My mother left me the house when she died."

Elizabeth glanced out the window and noticed it wasn't raining. That was unusual for Forks, although, it was still very overcast.

"Back to having to de-frizz my hair every morning." Elizabeth mumbled to herself.

Elizabeth was just about to turn onto the main road that ran through Forks, when her car began making a weird sound and then sputtered to a stop.

"Fabulous." Elizabeth muttered.

"What's wrong Mommy?" Chloe asked curiously. "Are we there yet?"

"The car isn't working right baby, but we are just down the street from the house. Wait in the car while I try and figure out what's wrong with the car."

"Okay Mommy."

Elizabeth slid out of the car and popped the hood to try and figure out what the problem was. She couldn't see very much considering it was close to 10:30 at night and very dark, but she could see the rise of smoke that hit her in the face the second she opened the hood of her car.

"Just great." She sighed. "Just another expense."

"Having car trouble?" a deep voice from behind Elizabeth asked. Elizabeth shrieked and spun around. She was surprised to see a tall man with dark hair standing behind her. She couldn't really tell what he looked like considering it was so dark, but she could make out the color of his eyes. The green color shone so bright, they almost sparkled in the night.

"Whoa there." The man shot of up his arms in defense. I didn't mean to scare you. I just saw your car pulled over on the side of the road, and I was just wondering if you needed any help."

"Oh uhh…" Elizabeth stuttered trying to think of what to say. "My car just stopped. It's smoking, and I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to do that." She laughed nervously.

The tall man chuckled along with her. "I don't think it's supposed to do that either."

The man glanced inside Elizabeth's car and spotted Chloe staring at him curiously.

"Is that your sister?" he asked turning his attention back to Elizabeth.

She shook her head and grinned.

"That's my daughter." She replied.

"You're kidding." He said smiling. "You don't look old enough to have a daughter her age."

'Is he trying to flirt with me? Creep.' Elizabeth thought.

"Well I'm her mother. It says so on the birth certificate." The man just continued to smile at Elizabeth and creep her out.

"So uh…do you know anything about cars?" Elizabeth asked. She was eager for the strange man to go away.

"No."

"Well then umm…" Elizabeth trailed off at loss of words.

"Why don't you and your daughter ride with me? I can take you wherever you need to go." He suggested.

"No that's okay. I'm not far from my house, and I"

"-oh I insist." The tall man said as he began to advance towards Elizabeth, and out of reflex, she began backing up. "It will be no problem." He grinned crookedly.

The man had Elizabeth backed up against her car with no where to go. He reached up with his hand and stroked her cheek, and she flinched.

"Your skin is so soft." He murmured. "And warm."

"Pl-please stop." She stuttered.

"Oh I'm sorry. Am I scaring you?" he asked but made no effort to move away from her.

"Mommy…who is he?" Chloe had gotten out of the car without being noticed and was surprised to find a strange man so close to her mother.

"He's nobody Chloe. Just get back in the car please." Elizabeth tried to steady her voice the best she could.

"Chloe, now that's a pretty name for a child." The man spoke softly next to Elizabeth's ear, and she shivered.

"Mommy…"

"Chloe please." Elizabeth begged close to tears. "Please just get back in the car."

Chloe was only five years old, but she was smart and very perceptive. She knew that something wasn't right.

The man chuckled darkly.

"You shouldn't be scared you know. I'm not going to hurt your adorable daughter." He smiled, but his smile offered no reassurance to Elizabeth. She glanced to the side. She would look anywhere but into his creepy eyes. Elizabeth noticed that Chloe still stood in the very spot she had a few moments ago. She looked into her daughter's eyes; pleading with her to get back into the car, but Chloe wouldn't move. She wouldn't leave her mother. A low growl caused Elizabeth to jump and look away from Chloe.

"No I won't touch her, but you. You're almost too good to pass up." He smirked and trailed his finger down the front of her blouse.

"No." she whimpered as she tried to knock his hand away. The tall man grabbed both of her wrists with just one of his large hands.

"No struggling with me." he scolded. "The more you struggle, the rougher I will be." He laughed. "Although I must say, hearing you whimper is really turning me on."

"Get off of me you sick freak!" Elizabeth screamed as tried to wriggle out of his tight grip. He still had her pinned to the car.

"Don't touch my Mommy!" a little voice screamed. The man didn't pay Chloe any attention.

"Oh there's no need to worry little one. Your mommy and I are just having a little fun." The man laughed as he tightened the grip on Elizabeth's wrists and used his other hand to caress her cheek. Elizabeth jerked her head away and spat right in his face.

"You bitch!" he screamed and backhanded her across the face. The all too familiar metallic taste filled her mouth. He was about to hit her again when he felt a searing sting on his thigh. Chloe had bit him.

"You little brat!" he exclaimed as he charged towards her but Elizabeth jumped in front of Chloe to protect her from this monster. Elizabeth realized though that no matter how hard she tried that she wouldn't be able to fully protect both herself and Chloe.

"Run Chloe! Please just run away. As fast as you can." She cried. "I love you baby. Now run!"

Chloe glanced up at her mother's pleading eyes and knew this is how her mother intended to protect her. Her mother was risking her own life to save hers.

"I love you too Mommy." She cried then bolted.

She ran just like her mother told her. She ran into the dark forest and didn't stop. She pumped her little legs as hard and fast as she could. Chloe never once stopped, and she never looked back.

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**A/N: What did you think? Did you like it? I hope so. Sorry there were no Cullens or Bella in this chapter. There will be in the next though so don't worry. Should I continue this? Please review and tell me what you think, but no flames please! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I am glad that people seem to enjoy my story. I hope you like this chapter as well. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight series**

"I'm glad it was sunny today." Bella smiled. She and Edward were lying in the grass in "their" meadow. Edward's skin was sparkling in the light, and Bella thought this was when he looked most beautiful. "This my favorite place to come with you."

"It is pretty nice isn't it?" Edward chuckled. "Anything else you wanted to do today?" he asked as he ran his fingers through Bella's long silky hair.

"_Anything?_" Bella lifted her head from his chest, and her brown eyes met his topaz ones. At first Edward was going to laugh at the silly question and say 'yes', but then he realized what she was suggesting.

"Anything but _that_ Bella." He growled. Bella glared but realized she couldn't stay angry with him for very long. In a weird twisted way, he was trying to protect her from becoming a "monster".

"Fine." She mumbled.

"Bella don't be angry with me. You don't realize what you are asking for. I refuse to"

"-damn my soul." Bella finished with an eye roll. "Don't you get it Edward? I love you, and I want to be with you forever. You wouldn't be 'damning my soul' as you put it. You would be…" Bella trailed off when she noticed Edward's body had gone rigid. "What's wrong?" she asked quietly, but Edward pressed a finger to her lips to quiet her.

"There's another human out here." Edward spoke quietly.

"Where?" Bella sat up and whipped her head around to see if she could see anyone.

"Not far." He replied.

"Can't you hear their thoughts?" Bella asked.

Edward paused for a moment, and then he stood up.

"It's a child. I can hear her cries."

"There's a little kid out here? Why is there a child in the woods?" Bella asked curiously.

"She's running from something. Her mind just keeps repeating 'Run away! Don't stop!'"

"Well where is she Edward? Is she hurt? We have to help her Edward. She's just a child" Bella said slowly starting to panic.

Edward looked down into Bella's worry filled eyes and found himself nodding. He grabbed her hand guiding her back into the woods away from the sunny meadow.

"She's very scared Bella. We must not frighten her anymore."

After walking for just a minute, Edward suddenly stopped causing Bella to run into his back. Bella looked in front of Edward and saw a little girl no older than five huddled up against a tree. The young child must have heard a twig break, and her head snapped up. Panic filled her eyes, and she was frozen with fear.

"We won't hurt you." Edward spoke softly, but the young child still looked skeptical.

"Are you hurt?" Bella asked tentatively.

The small child didn't answer, but the fear in her eyes seemed to diminish a little.

"Can you…smell her Edward?" Bella whispered so the child couldn't hear.

"Yes, but her scent is no where as near powerful as yours." He smiled.

"What is she thinking Edward?"

"She is wondering whether or not she can trust us or not."

"Wh-Who are you?" the child asked very quietly as she peered at Bella.

"I'm Bella." She smiled reassuringly. "What's your name?"

"Chloe." She replied almost inaudibly.

"That's a very pretty name." Bella complimented.

"She doesn't trust me." Edward whispered sadly. "She trusts you though."

"Should I….should I go over there with her?" Bella asked.

Edward nodded. Bella slowly and hesitantly walked towards the young child. Bella sat down on the ground beside her.

"Why are you out here by yourself Chloe?"

"I-I…" Chloe couldn't talk because her eyes were welling up with tears and a sob escaped her mouth.

The sound of Edward's low growl made Bella's head pop up, but thankfully Chloe didn't hear it. Bella looked at Edward confused. He walked over and sat down beside Bella.

"Her mother was killed." He whispered in Bella's ear, and she let out a shocked gasp.

Bella glanced back down at Chloe and hesitantly wrapped her arms around the young girl. Bella was surprised when Chloe leaned into her touch and clung to Bella for dear life. After a moment, Chloe's sob's subsided, but she didn't let go of Bella.

"Are you hurt Chloe?" Bella asked once again.

"My arm kind of hurts." She whimpered. "When I was running, I fell over a branch."

Edward chuckled, and Chloe looked at him strangely.

"Bella falls over branches a lot." He explained.

This made Chloe smile a little bit, but then concern flooded her features. She turned to Bella.

"Do you get hurt a lot?" she asked.

"Well I'm a bit of a klutz, but Edward makes sure I don't get hurt." Bella told Chloe. Her voice was filled with love and adoration.

"I'm Edward by the way. We were never introduced I noticed." He smiled at the child trying to ease some of her distrust towards him. "May I look at your arm? To make sure it isn't broken."

Chloe nodded and went to sit by Edward so he would have easy access to her arm. He prodded around for a second.

"It appears to just be sprained. We should probably have a doctor look at it though." He concluded.

'You have a medical degree.' Bella thought even though Edward wouldn't hear her.

"Can we take her back to your house so Carlisle can look at her? They ask all kinds of questions at hospitals Edward; questions that we can't answer."

Edward thought about it for a moment before he agreed seeing that this would be the easiest solution.

"Would you mind going to my house for a little while Chloe? You can even get cleaned up and get some food."

"Thank you Edward." Chloe spoke softly and kissed him on the cheek.

Edward smiled a smile that Bella had never seen before. His eyes were filled with longing for something that he could never have.

"Do you mind if I carry you there?"

Chloe shook her head. Edward lifted her into his arms, and she laid her head on his shoulder. Bella looked at the sight, and it nearly broke her heart.

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Edward carried Chloe in his arms all the way back to his home. He walked at human speed in order not to frighten Chloe, and Bella wouldn't have been able to keep up anyways. They reached the Cullen home shortly, and before they could open the front door, Alice tore it open and practically flew towards them.

"Oh my goodness Edward. She's adorable. I just had to see her. In my vision, she was absolutely precious." Alice gushed.

After hearing Alice's musical voice, Chloe turned her head to observe the pixie-like girl in front of her.

"Chloe, this is my sister Alice." Edward introduced.

"Hello Alice." Chloe waved shyly.

"Hello Chloe. You are just so cute!" Alice exclaimed causing Chloe to giggle. "Chloe would you like to come inside and meet the rest of my family, and maybe get something to eat?"

Chloe glanced at Bella and Edward to see if she should agree.

_Don't worry Edward. It's safe. I informed everyone after my vision. Jasper is just going to keep his distance, just like he does with Bella. Plus, her scent isn't overwhelming. _

Edward nodded his head to Alice, and then looked back to Chloe to find her staring straight at him. He read in her thoughts that she was wondering if they were going to go inside any time soon. He chuckled at her thoughts.

_Can I hold her Edward? _

"Ask her." Edward replied.

"Chloe, would you mind if I held you?" Alice asked a little unsure.

Chloe looked at Alice and smiled then reached out her hands towards Alice. Alice eagerly took Chloe in her arms and headed inside with Edward and Bella following.

"Are you hungry Chloe?"

Chloe nodded.

"What would you like?" Alice asked as she looked through the cabinets. The only reason they even had food was because Bella was over there so frequently.

"Umm do you have grilled cheese?" Chloe asked quietly.

Alice thought a moment. To be honest, she had no clue.

"I'm sure Esme could make it for you."

"Who is Esme?" Chloe asked curiously.

"She's our mother." A voice from behind Alice said.

Alice twirled around with Chloe in her arms to see Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie standing in front of her. Jasper was a little farther away from Chloe and Alice than Emmett and Rosalie were.

"Chloe, this is Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie." Alice introduced pointing out each person to Chloe.

Chloe wiggled around in Alice's arms signaling that she wanted to be let down so Alice gently set her down. Chloe observed the trio in front of her and formed her own opinions about them. A chuckle could be heard from the other room.

"What's so funny Edward?" Bella asked loud enough for the others to hear her.

"Jasper's name reminded Chloe of Casper the Friendly Ghost." He whispered in her ear, but everyone except Chloe could hear him anyways. They all snickered as well which caused Chloe to stare at them confusedly. Emmett stepped towards Chloe and kneeled down so they were eye level.

"Hey Chloe. I'm Emmett. How old are you?" he asked with a big grin on his face.

"I'm five, well five and a quarter." She chirped. Emmett laughed.

"You're really big." Chloe said in awe.

_Yes he is. _Rosalie smirked.

A groan could be heard from the other room, and Rosalie giggled. The sound made Chloe switch her attention from Emmett to Rosalie.

"You're very pretty; much prettier than my Barbie dolls." Chloe informed Rosalie.

"Thank you." Rosalie replied. She gazed down at the young child standing in front of her and noticed that Chloe was one of the cutest children she had ever seen. Rosalie felt an unfamiliar emotion wash over her. In an uncharacteristic way, she hesitantly reached for Chloe's hand. Chloe eagerly grabbed onto hers.

"Would you like to go get cleaned up?" Rosalie asked in a soft voice.

Everyone was in shock. Since when has Rosalie ever cared about anything other than herself? To see if they heard her right, Edward and Bella rushed into the kitchen where everyone else was.

"Sure." Chloe replied.

"I'll just give her a bath and give her a t-shirt or something to wear. I'll bring her back down after that." Rosalie told her family who were still looking at her with a mixture of confusion and shock swimming in their eyes. "Bella do you think you could make her a grilled cheese? I'm pretty sure none of us know how."

Bella was so shocked that Rosalie had actually spoken to her without a snide remark or a glare that she was barely able to stutter out her reply.

"S-sure. I'll get right on that."

_Don't worry Edward. I won't hurt her._ Rosalie notified Edward not missing his reluctance to Chloe going with her.

"Will you carry me please?" Chloe asked politely slightly tugging on Rosalie's hand.

"Of course." Rosalie smiled as she picked her up. At that moment her eyes were filled with nothing but love for the little girl in her arms. Rosalie headed up the stairs hugging Chloe close to her cold hard body.

"Be careful of her arm." Rosalie faintly heard Edward's voice call after her.

**A/N: That's it for that chapter. This chapter hints at what's to come later in the story. Please review and don't hesitate to ask any questions. No flames please. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! They really do encourage me to keep writing and get my updates up quickly. I hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review! **

"That was…" Edward started.

"Weird!" Alice interrupted.

Everyone was shocked into silence. Jasper could feel all the confusion radiating off of everybody. Everyone was left alone with their thoughts.

'_Am I mistaken or did Rosalie appear to care about something other than herself?' _Jasper

'_Aww that was so cute; unusual…but still sweet.' _Alice

'_Rose would have been a great mom. I don't care what anyone thinks.' _Emmett

'_That was odd, and the weird thing is that her thoughts were genuine.' _Edward

'_Wow…I didn't think Rosalie was capable of being so…warm. I wonder if Emmett's ever seen that side of her.' _Bella

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Meanwhile upstairs, Rosalie took Chloe into the bathroom she shared with Emmett.

"Would you like a bath or a shower?" Rosalie asked.

"A bath please." Chloe responded without any hesitation. "Do you think you could uh…help me?" she asked timidly.

"Of course I'll help you." Rosalie smiled. She would have helped the child even if she hadn't asked.

Rosalie knew she wasn't acting her normal self, but it was almost as if she couldn't help it. For some unknown reason she felt a special bond with this little human girl. This is one of the many times Rosalie envied humans. She always longed to be a human again. She was grateful to Carlisle for saving her, but she longed for things that vampires couldn't have. She wanted a family. She wanted to be a mother.

Rosalie helped Chloe out of her dirty torn clothes and into the bathtub.

"Is this too hot?" Rosalie asked as she ran the water.

Chloe shook her head.

Rosalie helped Chloe wash herself and her hair, and she was careful of the child's hurt arm. Chloe was an adorable child. She had light brown hair that fell into ringlets down her back. She was a very small child and looked younger than she really was; but when she started talking, one would realize that she is actually very intelligent. She had big blue-green eyes with long dark eyelashes. With Chloe's little button nose and pouty lips, she looked the picture of innocence. Rosalie wished this was her child. A comfortable silence fell over the two as Chloe finished up her bath.

"Are you ready to get out now?"

Chloe nodded. She hadn't said very much since they had been upstairs. Rosalie helped Chloe step out of the large tub and wrapped her up in a warm fluffy towel.

"Would you like to come in my room to dry off?" Rosalie asked her softly.

"Okay." Chloe agreed. "Thank you for helping me."

"You're very welcome Chloe." Rosalie smiled warmly. _She has very nice manners for such a young child. _ "Would you like me to carry you?"

Chloe's face broke out into a huge grin, and she eagerly reached for Rosalie. Rosalie giggled. Chloe was one child that loved to be held. Rosalie took Chloe into her arms, and Chloe quickly snuggled into Rosalie's embrace but then flinched. Rosalie looked down at her curiously but also concerned.

"You're chilly." Chloe giggled.

Rosalie frowned slightly.

"I'm sorry. If you would like, I will put you down." Rosalie suggested sadly.

"No!" Chloe shrieked and then looked down embarrassed at her outburst. "It's okay. I'm okay." She added quietly.

Rosalie smiled and nodded. She carried Chloe to her room and set her down on the bed. Rosalie and Emmett didn't need a bed to sleep on, but they had other…_needs. _

"Will you brush my hair and make it pretty like yours?" Chloe asked shyly.

"Sure." Rosalie answered with a big grin. She would always enjoy receiving compliments no matter what.

Rosalie was sitting behind Chloe on her bed combing out the young child's wet hair. Thankfully Chloe's hair was tangle free due to Rosalie's impressive hair treatments. Her siblings would flip if they found out that she willingly allowed someone else to use her expensive shampoo and conditioner. Rosalie always appeared so selfish and materialistic, but something about Chloe changed her.

"How old did you say you were Chloe?" Rosalie already knew, but she felt the need to make conversation.

"I'm five and a quarter." she chirped happily. For some reason, children always loved to tack on quarters to the end of their age. "How old are you?" Chloe asked curiously.

Rosalie smirked. "Much older than you."

Chloe pouted clearly not satisfied with the given answer.

"Come on Rosalie, _please_ tell me." Chloe begged with her puppy eyes she always used to get her way. Rosalie decided to play along.

"Okay, okay. If you must know, I am eighteen."

"That's not _that _old Rosalie." Chloe laughed. "My mommy is older than you." Chloe's smile died, and Rosalie could see the fat tears well up in her eyes.

"What happened Chloe?" Rosalie asked softly and hesitantly. Truthfully, she was very curious. This was one of the times she wished for Edward's gift. She knew Chloe's mother had died, but that was all she knew.

"W-we were in the car for a very long time." Chloe started slowly. "Me and Mommy were moving away from my Daddy. He wasn't nice. H-he hurt us." She cried. Rosalie saw red, but she masked her anger for Chloe's sake. _How could anyone hurt this precious child? _Rosalie also felt for Chloe's mother. She knew what it felt like to be mistreated by men. Rosalie was so deep in thought and memories; she was momentarily startled when she felt Chloe sob into her cold hard chest.

"Oh Chloe. It's okay now. Your father won't hurt you anymore. No one will hurt you anymore. I won't let them." Rosalie told her as she rubbed soothing circles on her back.

Chloe's sobs subsided and turned into small sniffles. She looked up at Rosalie with puffy red eyes.

"Promise?" her voice cracked.

"I promise." Rosalie whispered and then kissed the top of Chloe's head. Chloe smiled and cuddled up on Rosalie's lap. Rosalie decided not to push Chloe to tell her the rest of the story. She hoped that the fragile child would tell her when she was ready.

"Are you hungry?" Rosalie asked after a moment of silence.

Chloe thought about it for a moment which made Rosalie suppress a chuckle, and then she nodded.

"Okay. How about we get you a t-shirt or something to wear and then go downstairs and get you something to eat. I bet Bella has finished with your grilled cheese by now. How does that sound?"

"Good." Chloe replied.

Rosalie walked towards Edward's room, with Chloe in her arms of course, hoping that Bella had left a t-shirt or something here. Chloe was so small that one of the guy's t-shirts would swallow her whole; and she didn't even own a t-shirt, and she doubted that Alice did either. After a few minutes of searching, she still couldn't find anything.

"Gosh Bella. Why must you be such a prude?" Rosalie muttered under her breath, low enough so Chloe wouldn't hear. "Aha!" she exclaimed as she came across a t-shirt. She grabbed it from the drawer but not without missing what lay underneath it; a pair of panties. They weren't sexy, but they weren't too terribly old lady-ish. _Hmm…maybe Bella's not such a prude after all. _Rosalie smirked.

Rosalie dressed Chloe in the t-shirt and proceeded to take her downstairs to get something to eat.

"Rosalie?"

Rosalie looked down at Chloe. No, she wasn't holding her this time. Chloe had decided she wanted to walk on her own, but she still held her hand clasped tightly around Rosalie's.

"Yes Chloe?"

"Umm…am I going to get to stay with you and your family now?" Chloe asked shyly.

Rosalie knelt down to Chloe level and took the child's tiny hands into her cold ones.

"I certainly hope so." She spoke quietly. The thought of Chloe not being able to live with them made Rosalie's dead heart ache.

"Me too." Chloe said as she reached forward and hugged Rosalie tightly. The growling of Chloe's stomach broke their hug.

"Come on little one. Let's go get you some food." Rosalie laughed as she stood up and took Chloe's hand in her own. Chloe giggled and eagerly followed.

Rosalie walked in on her family having an intense conversation in low voices, but it stopped when she and Chloe entered the room.

"Chloe's hungry. Is her food fixed?" Rosalie asked looking at Bella. She once again startled Bella by not glaring at her or insulting her.

"Yes. It's in the kitchen. Is milk alright with you Chloe?" Bella asked sweetly.

"Yes, thank you Bella." Chloe politely replied.

Her manners and eloquent speech seemed to awe the group of vampires. After all she was just a mere human child, barely over the age of five.

Rosalie moved to guide Chloe into the kitchen, but Edward stood in front of her stopping her.

"Let Bella take her." He told her.

_Why?_

"We all need to discuss some…issues. Carlisle and Esme are on their way home. They should arrive soon." He informed her.

Rosalie reluctantly nodded and told Chloe to follow Bella.

"What are the issues that we need to discuss?" Rosalie wasted no time.

"We can't keep her." Edward spoke quietly.

"Excuse me? What?" Rosalie spoke in a cold as ice voice. On the inside she was fuming.

"She's a human Rosalie. We are vampires. We're monsters! What if something happens?"

"Bella's a human but she still hangs around all the time." Rosalie snapped, disdain evident in her voice.

Edward growled.

"That's not the-"

"No! Don't even say it's not the same!" Rosalie snapped.

"Rosalie, you have to think of what would be best for Chloe. She could have a family looking for her right now."

"Alice would have seen it. You haven't seen anything like that, have you Alice?"

Alice shook her head. "No." she said quietly. She didn't want to get in the middle of this. She wanted to keep Chloe too, but Edward did have a point.

"See Edward! Alice hasn't seen anything."

"Damn it Rose! We are vampires! She's not safe here. What if Jasper loses control?"

"Hey! Jasper's been doing a lot better!" Alice quickly defended her mate.

Edward kept arguing with Rosalie, not even stopping to acknowledge what Alice had said.

"How are we going to explain to a four year old our strange eating habits?"

"She's five."

Edward gave Rosalie a look that said that clearly wasn't the matter at hand. They kept glaring at one another; neither saying a word.

"Maybe we should just wait till Carlisle and Esme get home before we discuss this any further." Jasper suggested.

He could feel the waves of anger and frustration rolling off his two siblings, and frankly it was becoming uncomfortable.

"Yeah I think that's a good idea." Emmett agreed, speaking up for the first time.

"Fine." "Okay." Rosalie and Edward mumbled.

_She wants to stay Edward. She told me she did._

"We should wait to discuss this further Rosalie. Carlisle will be the deciding factor." Edward told her quietly.

Rosalie nodded.

The tense atmosphere was broken a minute later with Chloe running into the room with Bella following behind her. Chloe ran up to Rosalie and grabbed a hold of her hand.

"Rosalie, can we watch TV please?" Chloe begged while slightly tugging on Rosalie's arm. She seemed to be a tad less shy now than she was when she first arrived at the Cullen home.

"Of course we can kiddo. What do you want to watch?" Emmett asked. He loved kids; after all, he was just one big kid himself.

"Can we watch a movie?"

"Sure. Let's see what we got."

Chloe let go of Rosalie's hand and latched on to Emmett's as he led her to their huge DVD collection. Rosalie smiled at the interaction between her husband and Chloe.

"You have Finding Nemo?!" Chloe gasped. "Can we watch it? Pleeaasssee! Dory's my favorite!" she exclaimed.

Everyone laughed at Chloe's reaction. It seemed like she was slowly coming out of her shell. This made the family happy because it appeared that she was becoming comfortable with them.

"Who bought that movie?" Jasper asked.

"I did!" Alice squealed. "Dory's my favorite too!"

"Is Dory your favorite as well?" Edward asked Bella as they snuggled up on the love-seat together.

"Why of course she is." Bella laughed.

From the outside looking in they looked like the perfect family. Edward and Bella cuddled up on the love-seat; Jasper and Alice on the floor, with Alice in between Jasper's legs; and Emmett and Rosalie sitting side by side on the couch with Chloe laying across both their laps; and that's how they appeared when Carlisle and Esme walked in on them.

**A/N: Did you like this chapter? I hope you did. Please review! No flames please, but constructive criticism is welcome! **


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